"The Homeplace Saga" Blog

This blog will share elements of the stories of The Homeplace Saga included in this family saga series of novels and stories spanning the early 1800s to the present time. Somewhat like websites related to television shows and movies, elements of the stories and background materials will be included here that may not be explicitly included in the published works. Your participation through comments and questions will enhance the stories and your enjoyment of them.

Friday, December 2, 2016

As the story in "Back to the Homeplace" was being created it raised questions as to the motivations behind the love Mildred had for the farm land and why it was so important to keep it all together as their wills were being written.

By 'reverse engineering' the family history of Mildred's ancestors, we discovered the story of The Founding of Oak Springs and the Oak Creek valley community back in 1833, not long after Missouri statehood, in the Southern Missouri Ozark Mountains.

These stories, from 1833 to 1876, are collected in this volume for your reading pleasure:

Friday, October 14, 2016

The core values of "The Homeplace Saga" series of family saga, historical fiction stories were included in the novel, "Back the the Homeplace," where a family of four grown children and their children struggle with the loss of their matriarch, Margaret McDonald Bevins. What would become of the farm that had been in the family for more than 150 years?

If you have not read the story, it is new to you, and you will find it engaging.

Volume 3 is distinctive in that it takes a broader view of the life in and growth of Oak Springs than just the King family viewpoint. Also, it is actually a month by month chronology of the growth of the community. Here, we really get to see a small town community grow, have growing pains, and prosper through good times as well as difficult times during these months and years.

We hope you will be able to identify with some of the good folks in Oak Springs as you explore your own family history.

Friday, June 17, 2016

“I know the world is filled with troubles and many injustices. But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly. I think it is just as important to sing about beautiful mornings as it is to talk about slums. I just don’t write anything without hope in it.”

Oscar Hammerstein

Many of you have read some or all of the episodes of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 of "The Kings of Oak Springs. If you have not, I urge you to do so now, because Vol. 3 and Vol. 4 will soon be available, in the coming weeks.

All together, these stories include not only the King family, but the McDonald and Truesdale families, and the detailed stories of how the community of Oak Springs, in the southern Missouri Ozark Mountains, recovered following the devastation of the Civil War to become a thriving small town. You will learn about the formation of the schools, the churches, the businesses as well as the continued growth of the surrounding farming community. You may be able to relate the stories to your own family history as these stories share the relationships among the good folks living there, with births, marriages, deaths, and all of life that each family experiences, both the good and the tragic.

Some people, as they have read these stories, have said they are reminded of the "Little House" stores of Laura Ingalls Wilder. They were certainly partly inspired by her stories, though I'm no Wilder as a writer, but also by my own family history research and interests. I hope you enjoy getting to know the King family, Karl, Katherine, Keith, Kate, Kent and Karla, as you also watch Oak Springs grow.

Book Description:

Settling in Oak Springs, the King Family quickly becomes a part of the ongoing life of this southern Missouri Ozarks community, still recovering from the complete devastation during the late Civil War in 1876. While many of the residents of the Oak Creek valley, including the small town of Oak Springs, are returning residents from before the war, there are an increasing number, like the King family, who are arriving in this community for the first time.
Learn more about these characters who are central to the author's "The Homeplace Saga" series of family saga historical fiction stories. The Kings stories provide additional insights into the family relationships and the stories of the pioneer families and the new arrivals. Karl, Katherine and their four children, Keith (14), Kate (12), Kent (10), and Karla (5) fit right in as they observe and interact with their new neighbors, especially on "Fourth Sundays."

This collection of short stories compiles each and all of the short stories written to represent this period in the fictional Oak Creek valley and Oak Springs of "The Homeplace Saga" series of family saga, historical fiction stories.

Many of these stories were once published on this blog, but many others were not. Read them in this collection, in order, with additional explanatory information that is background to the entire "The Homeplace Saga" series of family saga, historical fiction stories.

The ebooks of "The Kings of Oak Springs" pick up the stories of this community where this collection ends.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Back to the Homeplace, the debut novel of William Leverne Smith, is available on Amazon.com and elsewhere, both in print and Kindle editions.

The novel is set on a farm and in a nearby fictional community located in the southern Missouri Ozark hills and near a fictional western branch of the Current River. The story revolves around a family dilemma following the death of their matriarch and the unusual will she left to insure the continuity of the farm, which has been in her family for over 150 years, intact.

The year is 1987. The varied background and viewpoints of the adult children coming back to the Homeplace ignite controversy and expose long kept secrets as each family member searches for his or her share of the family legacy. While the older family members stake their claims on land and fortunes, the younger ones search for love and acceptance. Subplots involve AIDS Awareness in 1987 issues and a support group for domestic violence incidents.

At the heart of this family life story is how we do or do not effectively communicate among family members - parents with children, among children and grandchildren and that we must each face the consequences of our individual actions. What happens when they come back to the Homeplace?

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About Me

Born in Coon Rapids, Iowa. William Leverne Smith was born and raised on a Midwestern farm. A passion for family history and genealogy studies provides background for his writing. He and his wife live in a cabin in the Missouri Ozarks.

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